We are delighted to announce that our Executive Director, Paul Bishop, has been appointed MBE in the 2023 New Year’s Honours List, for his services to young people.
Anyone who has had the pleasure of sailing or working with Paul will know his deep personal commitment to enriching the lives of young people through sailing. He has touched the lives of so many young people, often with personal challenges to overcome, through his work with the Ocean Youth Trust, the Rona Sailing Project, the Island Cruising Club and most recently as Race Director for Sail Training International.
The recognition of an MBE is very well-deserved for Paul's years of service to sail training, both in the United Kingdom and globally. He continues to pursue his vision through his new venture, Tall Ships Global.
We send our heartiest congratulations to Paul, and our best wishes to his wife Dawn and family who have so often ‘held the fort’ while he was away running events
Recently, Jane Vass from our Advisory Board was lucky enough to talk to Merf Owen, from Owen Clarke Designs. Merf is the inspirational ‘hands-on sailor-designer’ who started sailing with the UK based Ocean Youth Club. He’s been involved in the design and build of many legendary racing yachts, including Mike Golding’s Team Group 4 and Ellen MacArthur’s Kingfisher. He explains that the valuable life-skills he learnt as a young person during his early sail training voyages, helped him develop his successful career over the years.
Hi Merf, it’s fair to say that you’ve had a pretty stellar career in a very high-tech, cutting edge field, but when our paths first crossed, it was in the sail training world. So what took you from there to here?
The first turning point was going sailing with the Ocean Youth Club. I come from the North of England, my family had no history of sailing, the closest to the sea I got was two uncles that served in the Royal Navy during the war. And that was it. But at school, I was offered three Outward Bound projects - climbing, canoeing and sailing. I’d decided that I was going to join the merchant navy, I wasn't going to carry on and do A levels. But I'd never been to sea apart from on a ferry, so I came down to Hamble where I live now, and went sailing with the Ocean Youth Club in 19 August 1979, the week of the Fastnet Race, in a woolly jumper and pair of jeans. I got very frightened, very cold, very wet. I loved it.
Executive Director, Paul Bishop MBE, says ‘2020 has been a challenging year for all of us and there is no doubt that our industry is having to be increasingly responsive, creative and innovative to ensure its future. We’re looking forward to helping bring sail training vessel operators, Tall Ships friendly ports and maritime event organisers, closer together so that they respond effectively to the challenges. Tall Ships Global is an agile and collaborative new business that is developing fresh and exciting ways of supporting the international Tall Ships community’.
Like many sectors, sail training faces many challenges in the post-Covid world, but also some opportunities. Peter Cardy, Chair of the TSG advisory board, has published a ‘state of the nation’ analysis of these challenges and opportunities where he highlights:
We can provide media expert comment on all matters relating to Tall Ships Races and the wider Tall Ships and sail training community.
Contact Paul Bishop MBE +44 (0) 239 319 0177
